McLawhorn officially returns and release date

On June 12, 2011, Lee announced through her Twitter account that guitarist Troy McLawhorn, who worked with Seether for a time and left, was officially back with Evanescence, and the release date for their new album would be October 4, 2011. Later, on July 11, 2011, it was reported by MTV News that the release date for the album had been pushed back to October 11, and that the first single from the album will be ” What You Want “. The band recorded the album at Blackbird Studio in Nashville . During an interview with Kerrang! , Lee revealed that the new album’s title will be Evanescence . Lee said that the decision for the title of the album was her love towards Evanescence, as well as the record being composed more collaboratively than past albums, with all members contributing. The record is “about the band”, Lee explained. Its lyrical themes include Lee “falling back in love” with Evanescence, her being inspired by nature and the ocean, brokenness, the quest for freedom, and falling in love. Different from The Open Door , which was “all about me and my personal experiences”, Evanescence also includes Lee’s musings on events that occurred to others in her life. “But really, whatever makes me feel the most, that’s what’s on the record, because that’s what I need to get off my chest.”